Vending machine



Nov; 10, 1925- V c. E. ELKINS El AL VENDING MACHINE Filed Oct. 23, 19242 Sheets-Sheet 1 i I gwuenl'p zS f CHE [1 iris Nov. 10.1925. 1,560,677

c. E. ELKINSET AL VENDING MACHINE Filed Oct. 23, 1924' 2 Sheets-Shut 2gwuewtozs' dEE'll ins wasmiz 4L silk Patented Nov. 10, 1925.

UNITED STATES CHARLES E. ELKINS AND THOMAS B. SMITH, OF WAGO, TEXAS.

VENDING MACHINE.

Application filed October 23; 1924. Serial No; 745,438.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES E. ELKINs and THOMAS B. SMITH, citizens ofthe United States, residing at lVaco, in the county of McLennan andState of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inVending Machines, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to vending machines, and particularly to machinesfor vending pencils or like articles The general object of the inventionis to provide a very simple, easily operated machine of this characterwhich includes a valve-like receiver having a shape approximately thesame as a pencil and adapted to receive the lowest pencil of thosecontained within the magazine and, when oscillated, to deliver saidpencil and prevent the other pencils from being discharged.

A further object is to provide improved means whereby the device may notbe actuated to discharge a pencil unless a coin has been deposited. V

Other objects will appear in the course. of the following description.

Our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein aFigure 1 is va front elevation of a pencil vending machine constructedin accordance with our invention, the lower part of the machine being insection;

a I Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical section showing the manner inwhich the pencils are discharged v v Figure 3 is afragmentary elevationof the coin operating means, the magazine being in section; V V

Figure 4 is "an elevation of the cointopera-ting means, the coin chutebeing in section; I

Figure 5 is a like view toFigure 3 but showing the receiver rotated toits discharged position; I

Figure 6 is a like view to Figure 4 but showing'the receiver rotated toits discharged position; t

Figure 7 is a vertical section on the line 77 of Figure 8;

Figure 8 isa likeview to Figure 7 but showing the receiver rotated todischarge the pencil; l a

Figure 9 is a. fragmentary elevation of one end of the case 10 showingthe operating means on the exterior of the case.

Referring to these drawings, 10 designates opposite walls of a case orcabinet forming part of the vending machine. lVithin this case orcabinet is disposed the pencil magazine 11, and disposed below thelower'end of the case or cabinet is a pencil chute 12. The forward andrear'walls of these parts 11 and 12 are connected by means of theintermediate, outwardly bowed portions 13, as illustrated in Figure 7.These outwardly bowed portions 13 define a chamber within which isdisposed an oscillatable receiver 14. This'receiver is cylindrical incross section, except in its middle or that portion which extendsthrough the magazine 11 or more correctly through the part 13, and ishollow sothat the middle portion of the receiver, as illustrated inFigure'T, forms a semi-circular receptacle, the totaldepth of thereceptacle being equal to the diameter of a pencil A. -One extremity ofthis receiver is oscillatably mounted in a bearing 15 carried upon onesidewall 10 and the opposite end of the receiver is escillatablysupported, as will be now de scribed. 7 I V Mounted in a bearing bracket16 uponthe opposite side wall of the receiver is a longitudinallyextending shaft or pin 17 which enters the adjacent end of the receiver14 and thus supports the latter and constitutes a bearing therefor. Thisshaft ortpin 17 is held to the bracket 16 by means of a transverse pin18 which preventsthe shaft 17 from rotating and prevents from anysagging movement. Any means might be used to firmly supportthe endloftheshaft 17 so that itwill vbe directly in line with'the reangularextension 20. This extension 20 isprovided, as illustrated in .Figurel4,with a laterally projecting curved lug 21.

ceiver 14 and'act as a bearing therefor; A,

Con I fronting this arm or extension 20 is a second arm 22, the lowerend of which has a sleeve 23 which rotates loosely upon the bearingshaft 17, and the inner face of this arm is provided with a slightcup-shaped coinsupport 24 which has the. shape of a segmen of a circlethesize ofla coin. v Disposed immediately above the normal position ofthis cup-shaped coin support 24 is a coin chute 25 which extendsdownward from the I exterior of v the vending ,machine in any suitablemanner, the lower end ofthis chute being angularly cut away, as at 26,so that the rear wall of the coin chute-islower than the front wall: andapproximates the upper edge of the cup when the arm 22 is in itsrearward position. Th arm--22'is provided with a laterallyprojecting rod27 to which an operating lever, arm or other operating device exteriorto the vending maclnne'mayibe connected so that upon an operation ofthisoperating device in one direction'the arm 22l'will'be drawn over ina counter-clockwise direction in Figure 4.-

A coiled spring 28 is connected at one end at one end is attached to thebearing 15 and atthe-other end to the receiverand acts also to returnthe recciver to-its normal posit io-n. The'spring 28 also acts to forcethe I sleeve 23 forward to force thearm 22 toward thearm 20"sothat butlittle more spaceis lefthe-tween the inner faces of'the two-arms than isnecessaryto receive a coin in the normal position ofth'eseparts. When,however, the arm 22 .is' turned over'to the position'shownuinuFigure acam-shaped face 30 which is at the lowerend of the ar1n22 engages a pinill and this forces the arm 22flaway' from the'arm320against the actionofith-e spring '28 when the arms 20" and are in the'dotted line positionshown in Fig-- .ure 5, thus .pern'ntt ng the dropping out. of

thecoin in the normal. positionof the. parts. The arms 22 and 20 areCllSPOSQ'ClEIS 1llustrated llrFlglH'e l; thearm 20 being some-- whatinadvance of the arm'22 and the arm 22*being in such position that thecup 2 l'is disposedimmediately beneath the rear portion 'of the coinchute 25; vAt this time the receiverl 'iis'di'sposed as illustrated inFig-1 are with: its open face up,-and the lowest pencil A of'the seriesof pencils within the magazine 11 is resting. in this receiver.

If now a coinbe deposited in the'chute 25, it drops down the chute andlands upon the'cup 24. If now thearm 22 be vmoved forward by means ofany suitable. operating mechanism connected with the rod 27, the C0111will move along until itstrilie's'thelug 21, and after that thearm 20Will move with the arm 22. This continues until the arms are in adepending. position, as illustrated in Figure 5. The coin up to thistime has Ueen firmly clamped between the arms, but when tlnsposition isreached the pin 81 engaging against the cam edge '30 forces the sleeve23 outwardly, thus separating the two arms so that the coiirm ydrop out;the" iis that the arms have reached'their depending position, thereceiver lthasbecome completely-overturned and drops the pencil out, asshown in Figu're 8, the rounded bottom of the receiver being now upwardpreventingany other pencil from dropping downward through the pencilchute. As soon as th-e'coin has droppedout, the spring 29 will act toreturn the member 14: to its initial position, and as soon *as theforceha bee-nreleased from-tl1e-arm-22, this-arm will" return toitsnormal position. As soon as the receiver returns toitsnormalposition, a new pencil will dropv into theireceiverand allready'for -another actuationz' The coin, of course, dr'ops intoa-suitable' coin boxlorated helow the arms 20 and 22.-

W hile we do not wish? tohe limited to any particularform of ope"tingmeans ton-the arm L l r," we have illustrated a rod- 27-hounectadto the operattng member 22 crank- ..iiaped at itsend to extend through.a slot -32forined in the case 10;: We have illustrated this rod 27 asbeing-formed at its BXCI-QDP' ity with-a guide whereby the rod may heosrilla'ted' to'oscillate the-arm 22, but we do not wish to be limitedto this as any other means might be used for this purpose.

We have not endeavored in these drawings to illustrate the generaldesign or form of apencil- Yendinggmacl-iinebut only such parts as arenecessaryfor an understanding of the operation and actuation of thedevice,

and while the partsas illustrated have been found particularly"simplebutyet efiicient, we do not wish to be'limited to the detailsof"construction asthese obviously may be modiiied .in uiany ways withoutdeparting two arms when they have reached a pre determined point tothereby permit the dropping of the coin.

2. A coin controlled mechanism including an ,oscillatable member, anupwardly extending arm on the oscillatable' member, a second upwardlyextending, jarm approximately confronting the first-named arm andoscillatably mounted, means connected to said second named arm wherebyit may be manually oscillated, a coin chute discharging immediatelyabove the normal position of'the second named-arm, a segment-shaped coincup carried by the second named arm, the first named arm having a lugdisposed in the path of movement of the coin carried by said cup wherebysaid arms may have unitary movement, and means for causing theseparation of the arms when the arms have been oscillated to a dependingposition to thereby permit the discharge of the coin.

In a coin actuated mechanism, an oscillatable member having an upwardlyextending arm on one end, a second upwardly extending arm approximatelyconfronting the first named arm and oscillatably mounted, meansconnected to said second named arm whereby it may be manuallyoscillated, a coin chute discharging immediately above the normalposition of the second named arm, a segment-shaped coin cup carried bythe second named arm, the first named -arm having a lug disposed in thepath of movement of the coin carried by said cup whereby said arms mayhave unitary movement, means for causing the separation of the arms whenthe arms have been oscillated to a depending position to thereby permitthe discharge of the coin, and means for returning both of said arms totheir normal position after the coin has been discharged.

4. A coin controlled mechanism including a tubular oscillatable member,a bearing supporting one end of the tubular member, a fixed shaftextending into the other end of the tubular member and supporting it foroscillation, the last named end of the member having a radiallyextending arm, a sleeve mounted upon the shaft and having a radiallyextending arm approximately confronting the other arm, means formanually oscillating the last named arm and sleeve, a spring yieldinglyurging the last named sleeve toward the first named sleeve andyieldingly resisting rotation of the last named sleeve, means yieldinglyresisting the rotation of the first named sleeve, and means for causinga movement of the second named sleeve away from the first named sleevewhen the arms are in a depending position comprising a pin mounted uponthe shaft, the sleeve having a cam face engaging with said pin to causeseparation of the arms when the sleeves have rotated sufficiently tocarry the arms to a depending position.

5. A coin actuated device comprising two confronting oscillatablemembers mounted for rotation upon a common axis and having radiallyextending approximately confronting arms, one of the arms being providedwith a coin cup and the other with a lug disposed in advance of the coinreceived in said cup, means for oscillating the coin cup carrying arm tocarry the coin into engagement with the lug to thereby cause unitaryoscillation of the two arms, and means for causing a lateral separationof the two arms when the arms have reached a depending position tothereby cause the diseral separation of the two arms when the armshavereached a depending position to thereby cause the dlscharge of thecom 1nc-ludmg a member exerting a camming action on one of saidoscillatable elements to our signatures.

CHARLES E. ELKINS. THOMAS E. SMITH.

